One of the larger dynamics in this country is the one that occurs when a group of people don’t like something for one reason, and say it is for another reason- and controversies like those surrounding Plan B and HPV vaccines are a great illustration of this.

Earlier this week, it became big news when it was revealed that a Pennsylvania university had installed a vending machine to dispense the high-dose birth control pill Plan B. I will say for the record now that I believe that in the history of marketing, the selection of the name “Plan B” is pretty woeful- it seems to cast an pall of irresponsibility over the name of the ill-understood product. (While many believe Plan B is an abortion-inducing medication, it is in fact just a high-dose version of the Pill, and does nothing more than the Pill itself can do.)

And though the birth control pill itself is not available over the counter, Plan B often is, depending on your area and the religious views of your pharmacist. Often cloaked in the guise of concern for the health of women, people get upset that the ubiquity of Plan B allows women to have “consequence free sex” by covering failures in birth control. Naturally, when Plan B appeared in a vending machine for $25 at the college in Pennsylvania, it was pretty controversial.

Following the media blitz, it was revealed that the Food Drug Administration (FDA) is investigating the situation, and in a statement, they said they are “working to gather the facts now, including contacting Pennsylvania state authorities and the university.” Do you think Plan B in a vending machine is irresponsible?

Plan B in Vending Machine Prompts FDA Investigation is a post from: The Inquisitr

The emergency contraceptive Levonorgestrel, also known as “Plan B”, has long been at the center of controversy within pro-choice/pro-life discussions. But now, at one Pennsylvania college, students can detour from their walk of shame to pick up a dose of the so-called “morning-after pill”  from a vending machine on campus.

Shippensburg University installed the vending machine which sells doses of Plan B for an affordable $25 a pop. Before anyone gets bent out of shape over this seemingly controversial move, a few things need to be made clear. For one, no, you cannot purchase a morning-after pill in the student center or any of the dorms, and then move down the vending machine choir line to grab a bag of Chex Mix and a Mountain Dew: the vending machine is located in the health center. Second, the installation was born out of student demand, not institutional politics. Students desired the easy option for convenience and personal comfort:

“We had some conversations with them and they did a survey of the student body, and we got an 85 percent response rate that the students supported Plan B in the House Center,” said Dr. Roger Serr, VP of Student Affairs at Shippensburg University.

Also, the university does not make any profit from the selling of the drug:

“We were uncomfortable providing it for free because that would mean we were supporting Plan B with either state money or fee money,” Serr said.

Insofar as legality is concerned, the drug can be sold over-the-counter to anyone over the age of 17. The drug contains hormones that prevent ovulation and fertilization from happening. Think of it as birth control on crack.

What do you think of the college’s installation of the Plan B vending machine? Disgusting? Smart? Progressive? Safe? Let us know in the comments section below.

College Installs Emergency Contraceptive “Plan B” Vending Machine is a post from: The Inquisitr

With all of the fallout surrounding Joe Paterno’s death, many seemed to forget – if only for a moment – the controversy that surrounded him and his coaching staff at the end of his record-breaking career. Namely, the dark blight on an otherwise perfect American story – the criminal allegations surrounding Penn State assistant coach Jerry Sandusky. This week, the case jumps forward as Sandusky learns the identities of the 10 young men accusing him of sexual abuse.

The names of the accusers will be given to Sandusky’s lawyer on Friday, according to the attorney general’s office. Sandusky’s lawyer had previously requested a document giving the names of the accusers, as well as times, locations, and other specifics related to the 50 criminal counts against the former Penn State defensive coordinator. The state’s prosecutors shot back, saying that the facts presented in the grand jury reports, charging documents, and discovery materials are sufficient.

Sandusky has been ordered by the court to not have any contact whatsoever with children. On Friday, he asked the court for permission to see his grandchildren, provided they are accompanied by one of their parents. He is also asking to be able to contact said grandchildren by phone or electronically, given the permission of their parents. Sandusky has 11 grandchildren under the age of 18.

In my opinion, this guy is first-rate garbage and isn’t in the position to be asking for anything. But, we in this country are blessed with due process, so I will save my harshest opinions until the trial takes place and the verdict comes through.

Do you think Jerry Sandusky is innocent or guilty?

Jerry Sandusky Finds Out Who His Accusers Are This Week is a post from: The Inquisitr

If you think you’ve got a good “gaydar”, that is, the ability to divine someone’s sexual orientation from a casual glance in their direction and nothing more, it may have less to do with some preternatural sixth sense and more to do with the shape of that person’s face, according to a new study.

The new study showed that people who identified as heterosexual tended to have more symmetrical faces than those who self-identified as homosexual. Furthermore, some 40 subjects were presented with photos of 60 people in the study by an evolutionary psychologist. Those asked to look at photographs of subjects considered those with symmetrical faces to be heterosexual more often than not.

“We were surprised to find that symmetry played a larger role than masculine/feminine features in assessing sexual orientation,” says the lead researcher, who notes that “the ability to assess the sexual orientation of others may be an adaptive trait. In terms of mate selection and romance, it’s crucial to recognize” sexual orientation. Furthermore, the study states:

“We found differences in measures of facial symmetry between self-identified heterosexual and homosexual individuals, [...] We also found that the more likely raters perceived males as being attracted to women (i.e. holding more of a heterosexual orientation), the more symmetrical the males’ facial features were.”

Though not statistically relevant, straight women tended to be more symmetrical.

They say beauty is based on symmetry. I’ve also heard women bemoan that “all the hot guys are gay”. Have hope, single ladies. Doesn’t look like that last part is true at all!

Do you have a good “gaydar”?

Think You Have a Good “Gaydar”? Here’s the Science Behind it… is a post from: The Inquisitr

Jay Paterno, son of Penn State legend Joe Paterno has announced that he will be cutting ties with the University after 17 years as an assistant under his dad’s former regime.

The quarterbacks coaches departure severs the last ties the program has to the Paterno family. The departure of Paterno didn’t come as a surprise after the school named New England Patriots offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Bill O’Brien as the schools new head coach of the Nittany Lions.

Dad Joe Paterno was fired on Nov. 9 after the Jerry Sandusky sex scandal showed a lack of control by many faculty members of the Penn State football team.

Speaking of his decision Jay Paterno said he spoke with O’Brien earlier in the week and they both “reached the conclusion” that Joe would not be a part of the new Penn State coaching staff.

As to where Joe Paterno hopes to land after leaving a school he called home for nearly two decades? He’s not sure at this time, noting that he will take a few weeks to collect his thoughts and then discuss on and off-field options with his family.

In a statement to his former team Paterno said:

“I wish the program the best of luck in carrying on the academic and athletic excellence that have been a hallmark of this university for decades.”

Joe went on to note:

“As for Penn Staters, I cannot even begin to express what your support has meant to me and my family over the past seventeen seasons and in particular the past two months. Through the tumult of the past several weeks, it has been your stalwart support combined with life lessons learned from Joe Paterno that has and continue to sustain us.”

Do you think it was the right decision for Jay Paterno to leave the program, severing all ties with the former regime?

Jay Paterno Leaving Penn State Months After Dad Joe Paterno Was Fired is a post from: The Inquisitr

The outdoor NHL hockey matchup known as the NHL Classic has been pushed back by NFL officials following a revised weather forecast.

According to officials the game which was scheduled for 1 p.m. will now instead be played at 3 p.m. ET.

The New York Rangers and Philadelphia Flyers game is scheduled to be played at Citizens Bank Park and the NHL made their decision on Sunday when weather forecasters predicted optimal weather conditions for later in the day.

Fans preparing to attend the match up can now enter when gates open at 1 p.m.

Last years NHL Classic in Pittsburgh was pushed all the way into prime time because of rain.

Do you plan on watching the NFL Classic regardless of what time it starts?

[Wrigley Field image via BigBadBob113]

NHL Winter Classic Pushed Back Over Weather Forecast is a post from: The Inquisitr

The two were spotted awkwardly walking around the beach in California with Kinney’s arm around a stiletto clad Gaga.

Gaga and Kinney met on the set of her smash hit video, You and I, which he also starred in.  Since the video was shot earlier this year, the couple have apparently been inseparable.  they have gone out of their way to keep themselves out of the spotlight and especially away from photographers.

She was asked about their relationship back in September, but always the always tight lipped pop star said:

‘You know I don’t talk about my love life, but I’m very happy.’

Kinney’s ex, Brittany Sackett had nothing nice to say about him.  She supposedly was still dating the actor when she found out about him and Lady Gaga.  She told Us weekly that she thought he was “Fame Hungry”.  She also went on to talk about the dump that Kinney shares with his three roommates.  Gaga supposedly stayed with him there a few times. 

Lady Gaga was also seen around Kinney’s home town in Pennsylvania looking at houses.  a $1.7 million dollar house in the area supposedly caught her eye. 

Do you wish Lady Gaga well in her new relationship?

Lady Gaga’s New Boyfriend…Vampire Diaries Star Taylor Kinney is a post from: The Inquisitr

Ex-Penn State Nittany Lions Football Coach Joe “Joepa” Paterno has re-broken his pelvis after a fall in his home today.  The legendary coach had previously been hospitalized earlier this year after initially breaking his pelvis when he was blindsided by a player during the Nitanny Lions Preseason.  Paterno was diagnosed with a mild form of Lung Cancer, a week after he was fired from his job at the University.   “It was determined Paterno should remain in the hospital now to facilitate his regimen of cancer treatments while recovering from the pelvis injury” ESPN reported.

Paterno was fired from his job as the head coach of the Nittany Lions last month amid revelations that one of his long time assistant coaches, Jerry Sandusky, had been involved in a child sex-abuse scandal at the college.  Sandusky has stated publicly that he never discussed the scandal, or any of the charges with Paterno.

Paterno, who turned 84 years old this year,  holds the record for the most victories of any NCAA Division I football coach with 409 and is the only coach to reach 400 victories. He coached five undefeated teams that won major bowl games and less than five years ago he was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.

Paterno has not spoken publicly at all about the scandal or his firing from the university.   It is alleged that Paterno had knowledge prior to the charges being known to prosecutors that Sandusky had abused several children at the university and had never confronted his assistant coach about it.  Paterno is not being charged with any criminal activity in relation to the sex abuse scandal.

Do you think Paterno will be remembered for his coaching legacy or the scandal?

Ex-Penn State Coach Joe Paterno Breaks Pelvis In Fall At Home is a post from: The Inquisitr

Travelers on Pennsylvania’s Route 19 were greeted with an early holiday present this week when $200,000 in cold hard cash began flying out of the back doors of an armored van as it drove down the road.

According to reports from WPXI some good samaritan drivers alerted the armored van’s driver about the open door.

While much of the money was returned to the vehicle police say at least ‘six figures’ are still missing at this time.

One witness who picked up and returned $60 said of the incident:

“You’re talking about 300 yards where I turned around, and money was all over the street,” and “By the time I turned around, most of that money was already gone. It’s pretty amazing to begin with. Cars were stopping. People were everywhere.”

It’s still unclear how well the money was tracked before transportation however police say that anyone caught using the money could face charges.

According to the same witness a “heavy-set man driving a red BMW” drove away with plenty of cash in hand.

It’s still unknown how the accident occurred, if the driver accidentally left the door open there’s a good chance he will no longer be working with the security company responsible for the money.

Would you have alerted the drive and helped collect the cash or would you grab as much as you could and then speed off?

Armored Van Accidentally Spews Out $200,000 On Route 19 is a post from: The Inquisitr

Jerry Sandusky’s attorney announced on Wednesday that the former Penn State coaches newest sexual abuse allegation comes from a family member. According to his attorney the case is currently under investigation from Children and Youth Services .

The family member’s case was filed along with another accusation just 60 days ago and both cases are still in their initial stages of investigation.

According to attorney Joe Amendola the allegation stems from issues inside the child’s immediate family and the accusation has been complicated because they occurred before Sandusky’s arrest in early November.

Amendola says of the family member’s accusation:

“That doesn’t surprise me, because we believe there would be a number of copycat allegations, people who really maybe not even had direct contact with Jerry but … try to jump on the bandwagon.”

If either of the cases are proven to be true it would be the first time that currently underage accusers have been brought forward. Sandusky’s current accusers who were abused between the ages of seven and eight years old are now over the age of 18.

Jerry Sandusky was indicted on Nov. 4 and charged with 40 counts of sex crimes against boys after a three-year grand jury investigation was completed.

Newest Jerry Sandusky Accuser Is A Family Member is a post from: The Inquisitr

Tim Robbins has been a supporter of liberal causes for years and now the actor has joined the Occupy Wall Street campaign in Lower Manhattan. According to reports Robbins took to the streets on Wednesday along with other supporters who gathered in front of the Federal Courthouse in Foley Square.

Speaking with the Financial Times Robbins revealed:

“This is what an actual grassroots movement looks like,” while adding, ”It’s a bit sloppy and disorganized but full of passion.” 

Occupy Wall Street protesters have camped out since mid-September and are protesting economic inequalities, corporate corruption and greed and the influence that money from corporations has on government and politics.

Robbins wasn’t the only star who took to the streets 24-year-old Penn Badgley has also been recently spotted talking to demonstrators and snapping photos of the event.

Activists, young children, mothers, fathers, there really isn’t anyone who isn’t attending Occupy Wall Street, here’s a video showing groups of protesters:

Are you an Occupy Wall Street supporter or do you think very little good will come from the campaign?

Tim Robbins Joins “Occupy Wall Street” Campaign is a post from: The Inquisitr

During the ceremony, the Memorial Plaza and Field of Honor – the first stage of the $62 million memorial project – will be unveiled to honor the heroism of the 40 passengers and crew who died when some fought hijackers for control of the jetliner.

“We used the large scale of the open site to give a heroic quality to the memorial, creating a long, arching walkway around a Field of Honor,” architect Paul Murdoch, who designed the memorial, explained in an interview with the Allentown Morning Call. “We used the serenity of the rural landscape to inform the memorial expression as a cemetery, while working with the severity of the site’s exposure and mining history to recognize it as a battleground.”

Future features of the Flight 93 memorial site will include a Tower of Voices, a tower of 40 wind chimes honoring the 40 passengers who died; 40 Memorial Groves, 40 trees planted in 40 groves; Entry Portal, a representation of flight path; Visitor Center; Wetlands; and Sacred Ground.

Among dignitaries, Vice President Joe Biden and former Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush are scheduled to attend the memorial’s opening ceremonies and President Barack Obama will visit the site on Sunday, the 10th anniversary of the attacks.

The Flight 93 National Memorial and History Channel are providing a live webcast of the event, which begins at 12:30pm EST.

via LA Times
Img: Nps

September 11 Flight 93 Memorial Opens on Eve of Event’s 10th Anniversary is a post from: The Inquisitr

Officials in the Pennsylvania area along the Susquehanna River have ordered more than 100,000 people to evacuate their homes. The rivers waters have continued to rise following Tropical Storm Lee and the river is expected to crest at 41 feet by 8pm.

According to one county commissioner speaking with the Standard Speaker:

“We want people to heed our order and leave,” while they add, “It’s significant. We want them to leave.”

Pennsylvania residents aren’t the only one’s experiencing problems brought on my flooding, an evacuation notice was also issued for Eastern New York as the Hudson and Mohawk are expected to spill over.

As a safety precaution officials in Binghmaton, NY have closed all bridges in the area and ordered an urgent notice, telling residents “you need to move now.” The urgent evacuation notice came after the Army Corps of Engineers shut down two major dams, while the areas sewage plant was taken offline due to flooding.

Residents in areas where flooding is likely are being asked to conserve fresh water in the event that filtration plants are also shut down for flooding.

According to WGAL 8 the circumstances surrounding the flooding are dangerous and have already led to the deaths of at least three people in Pennsylvania.

Officials warn that no area is safe, indoors or out. One man bailing water from his houses basement died when his homes walls collapsed, while a female drowned in her car and another person died when they were hit by a mini-van while warning people about the flood.

Are you experiencing flooding in your part of Pennsylvania or New York? Keep us updated in the comments section.

100,000 Ordered To Evacuate Pennsylvania Area, New York Residents Also Evacuating As Flood Waters Rise is a post from: The Inquisitr

Here’s another one for the rumor mill, reports are circulating for the umpteenth time that Justin Bieber and Selena Gomez have broke up.

According to reports, Gomez didn’t like the company Bieber keeps which included Sean Kingston and Chris Broke, while a friend of Bieber’s told the Daily Star:

“The big headline-grabbing romance is over. All Selena wants to be now is friends.She doesn’t feel Justin is quite mature enough yet to be in a long-term, stable relationship. She’s in the market for someone a little older and more worldly-wise.”

At the same time reports are also floating around that the Disney star has been flirting with Shia Lebeouf, who at 25-years-old is more in her age range.

While not confirmed it’s also believed that Gomez may have severed ties after learning that Bieber had text messaged ex-girlfriend Jasmine Villegas.

So what exactly are Gomez’s plans after the breakup? It has already been confirmed that she’ll be hosting the MTV Video Music Awards pre-show, while she’ll also perform at the August 28th event. In a statement about the VMAs Gomez revealed:

“I am very excited to be a part of the 2011 VMAs! After all of my years watching the VMAs, the pre-show has always been one of my favorite parts. It is a true honor to be hosting from the black carpet this year.”

The breakup and story about why it occurred has not been confirmed by Selena Gomez or Justin Bieber at this time, although if it did occur I’m sure Bieber’s side of the story will be vastly different.

Selena Gomez Dumps “Immature” Justin Bieber is a post from: The Inquisitr

A university in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania has grabbed some headlines for themselves by taking the attention whoring step of banning all social media on campus for a week, except for on cell phones and smartphones, which kind of just makes it more annoying and pointless.

NPR did an interview with Eric Darr, of Harrisburg University of Science and Technology, who describes the half-assed social experiment and ensuing essays by students about being cut off from things like Facebook and Twitter:

Provost Eric Darr of Harrisburg University of Science and Technology in Pennsylvania tells NPR’s Guy Raz that he wanted his students to not only think about this question, but live it.

“Often there are behaviors, habits, ways we use technology that we may ourselves not even be able to articulate because we’re not aware of them,” Darr says.

Darr asserts the ban is not discipline-related, but is academic in nature and designed to provoke thought. Given the student can access networks just fine and merely less efficiently, it sounds more like an irritation than anything else. Do you think this initiative has any academic merit? Since Facebook and Twitter have become a part of your life, what’s the longest you’ve managed to remain unplugged?

Pennsylvania university bans social media for a week is a post from: The Inquisitr

Kelly Ann Walz, 37, of Ross Township, PA, was mauled to death Sunday night by her pet black bear.

Walz, who also kept a tiger and a lion on the property, had entered the bear’s cage to clean the cage and feed the 350-lb bear when it attacked and ultimately killed her. Police say the animal was kept in a 15 x 15 enclosure on the woman’s property, and that she’d attempted to distract the bear with dog food while she cleaned the cage.

The bear was shot and killed by a neighbor, and an investigation is ongoing. A local official spoke to press about the risk undertaken in owning unconventional pets:

Tim Conway, of the Pennsylvania Game Commission, told the Morning Call local newspaper: “These animals, even though they may be very docile one day, you never know.

They are wild animals and they’re very powerful and they could easily destroy your day.”

Ross Township PA woman killed by pet bear is a post from: The Inquisitr

There is a growing group in the United States that is facing an increasing number of charges for creating and distributing pornography and contributing to child abuse but it isn’t who you think it is. As exampled by three cases going to trial in Pennsylvania this section of our society is our very own children. These type of charges are all being based around something that is getting the catchy buzzword of – sexting and it would appear that it is more of a common practice among young girls than we realize.

For those of you who might not know what sexting is here’s a quick little primer. Sexting is the act of taking a picture of yourself nude or semi-nude with your camera phone and then sending that picture to whoever you want. Normally this is suppose to be only between dating partners but as the case of the young girl in Cincinnati who hung herself after the picture she took of herself made it past her boyfriend and was spread around the school it can end up getting out of control.

Now I am pretty sure we all agree – at least those of us who are parents – that this isn’t exactly what we would like our little girls; or boys, to be doing but does this mean that they should be charged and prosecuted as child abusers and pornographers? An action that will end up with them having a felony conviction on their record for life and not just any felony but that of being a sexual offender.

Well this is what District Attorney George P. Skumanick in Pennsylvania wants to do to three girls who were caught sexting after their camera phones were confiscated by their school during an investigation by the school after boys at the school were caught with pictures of girls who had been sexting them.

At issue in the Tunkhannock case are two photos depicting the three girls. One photo of Marissa Miller and Grace Kelly shows them two years ago at age 13 lying side by side while one talks on the phone and the other makes a peace sign with her fingers, according to the ACLU complaint. The two are photographed from the waist up and are wearing white opaque bras. A second photo shows a girl referred to in the court document as "Jane Doe" photographed outside a shower with a towel wrapped around her waist. Her breasts are bared.

Last year, Tunkhannock school officials discovered that male students had been trading these and other photos on their phones. Officials confiscated the phones and turned them over to county prosecutors who began a criminal investigation.

Skumanick then threatened to charge the three girls with producing child porn unless their parents agree to place them on a six-month probation and send them to a five-week, 10-hour education program to discuss why what they did was wrong and what it means to be a girl in today’s society. The girls also must agree to subject themselves to drug testing.

Skumanick told an assembly of students that possessing inappropriate images of minors could be prosecuted under state child porn laws. Anyone convicted under the laws faces a possible seven year sentence and a felony conviction on their record. Under a state sex offender law, they must also register as a sex offender for 10 years and have their name and photo posted on the state’s sex offender website — the latter requirement will include juvenile offenders when the law is amended later this year.

Source: Threat Level

Granted these type of actions might not be the smartest thing for girls to be doing but I find the threats and bullying of the District Attorney far more reprehensible than anything these kids have done. The fact is that the world our children are use to to isn’t the same one we are living in. For them there is nothing wrong in what they have done – their world has a different set of morality judgments being made, just as mine or yours were different than our parents.

Should the kids be spoken to about the danger of what they are doing – from our points of view; which is radically different than theirs – you betcha but that is the responsibility of the parents not something that some dickhead looking for re-election an a couple of months can make headlines out of. As far as I am concerned Skumanick has abused his position of power by literally blackmailing parents into forcing their children into state sanctioned behavior training.

According to the Threat Level post the ACLU has stepped in to defend the three girls and their parents as well as filing a lawsuit against the District Attorney

The ACLU of Pennsylvania is representing the girls and their parents. In its lawsuit –  filed in U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania — the organization charges that the prosecutor violated the girls’ First Amendment rights. The lawsuit says the photos do not constitute child pornography under Pennsylvania’s criminal code since they depict no sexual activity and do not display the pubic area of the girls’ bodies.

"Skumanick’s threatened prosecution chills Plaintiff’s First Amendment right of expression, causing them concern about whether they may photograph their daughters, or whether the girls may allow themselves to be photographed, wearing a two-piece bathing suit," the ACLU wrote.

The lawsuit also claims the demand that the parents agree to place their girls in an education program violates the parents’ Fourteenth Amendment rights to direct the upbringing of their own children.

According to the ACLU filing, Skumanick told Miller’s parents that the photo of their daughter constituted child pornography because she and her friend were posed "provocatively." When lawyers for the parents asked for a copy of the photos that would be used to charge their children, Skumanick reportedly refused on grounds that he would be committing a crime by sharing child porn.

Personally I think the DA should hand in his resignation and let parents get back to being parents; or perhaps he should be far more diligent in sending actual pedophiles to jail instead of making political hay out of natural childhood curiosity and exploration.

[photo courtesy of Threat Level]

Protecting our children by turning them into felons is a post from: The Inquisitr